


Theme Days (Haru Okumura Week #1, Coffee)

by knightofsuperior



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Cameos from Prior Personas, Haru Okumura Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 02:19:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16845235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: Haru has an idea to bump business at Leblanc, and gets a pleasant surprise for her troubles.





	Theme Days (Haru Okumura Week #1, Coffee)

**Author's Note:**

> Haru Okumura is a character I wish I had gotten to know better during my playthrough of Persona 5. I didn't get a chance to really interact with her in my first playthrough, but I really enjoyed what I did get to see of her in the main story and in what I saw online after I'd finished the game. When I found out about Haru Okumura Week 2018, I figured I'd give it a try as best I could to try to see if I can explore her character some more (and also to keep my P5 hype going for my other major P5 story, The Choice of Steins' Gate). Hope you enjoy, and that I do justice to the character!

“Sorry, run that by me again?” Sojiro Sakura asked, blinking. 

“Theme days!” Haru clasped her hands together. “I think it would make LeBlanc a little more lively while Ren is away, and it might bring in some new customers as well!” 

Sojiro let out a low hum. He hadn’t really considered it ( _ That’s a lie, _ his conscience chided,  _ you just didn’t want to listen to me until now _ ), but things had seemed rather...dour since his charge left. Not anything bad, of course; he had the usuals and the regulars. Haru was a model employee, and made for a fantastic conversational partner during the doldrums of the day. All of Ren’s pals stopped by every now and again. Still, it did feel as though something was missing without the eclectic atmosphere his ward brought to the cafe. “Okay,” Sojiro began, “What exactly did you have in mind?”

Haru reached into her pocket, drawing out a folded piece of paper. She laid it out on the counter, creasing out the crinkles so that Sojiro could make out the words. “Well, I was thinking we could set something up once a month-” She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “-maybe more if it works out, where we’d select a certain kind of coffee. Say, a Hawaiian Kona, though perhaps something less expensive to start.” She moved her finger down the list. “We’ll set up a theme, such as a tropical vacation or a tiki bar. That coffee will be the centerpiece, discounted for a limited time.” She pointed at a small note she made to the side. “It doesn’t necessarily need to be directly related to the theme, but it certainly helps.”

“I see,” Sojiro mused. “If we have it for cheap, more people will be inclined to go for the coffee of the month, and then if they come back, they’ll want it again at full price.”

Haru nodded. “Exactly. It wouldn’t be too difficult to organize, either. I’m certain we can always bring in the others in case we have an overflow. Perhaps set up some more tables outside, as well!” Her eyes lit up, startling Sojiro with their intensity. “What do you think, Boss?”

Sojiro put a hand to his chin. “I’d say it’s not a bad idea. This place could stand to have a little more excitement once in a while. My only real concern is the budget. We don’t exactly have all the funds in the world, here.” 

Haru raised an eyebrow. “Boss.”

“Yeah?”

A moment passed.

“...oh, right.” Sojiro shook his head. “You’ll forgive an old man his forgetfulness.”

“No need to worry.” Haru folded the paper up again. “That said, the initial theme I had in mind would likely only require a small fraction of funds; I’ve already spoken to Ann about the outfits, Yusuke about the decor, and Futaba about the…” She paused. “I believe she called them “sick beats.””

Sojiro crossed his arms. “Someone’s proactive.” He smirked. “Alright. I’ll bite. What’ve you got?”

* * *

Haru took a bow, her hat sliding slightly over her eyes as the next set of guests sat down at the bar. “Greetings. I am the Beauty Thief, and I bid you all welcome to Cafe Leblanc. Which of our mysterious concoctions will steal your heart today? Perhaps our special, a cup of Mocha Matari?” She smiled. “It pairs nicely with our curry, prepared fresh in-house.” She gestured towards the kitchenette, where Sojiro (decked out in a black suit and tie combination, with a black version of his usual hat and a pair of slick sunglasses to boot) was stirring another batch up.

One of the customers, a man in a beanie and a thick red coat, raised a hand. “I’ll take a black coffee and a plate of curry, thanks.”

“I’ll have a Mocha Matari,” another, a red-haired woman in a white fur coat and dark suit, replied. 

“Ooh, ooh, I’ll take some of the curry! Do you have any with steak?” a third, a brown-haired woman in a police uniform, asked excitedly.

Haru’s eyes shifted to Sojiro. As if he sensed her stare, he replied, “I can toss in some if you like, but it’ll be a little longer.”

“Aw, alright.” The woman pointed at the menu. “I’ll have a milk tea, then, if you have it while I wait.”

“As you wish. One moment.” Haru turned away, humming as she went to find the right beans. 

It was a bit of a tough sell, getting Sojiro to agree to the Phantom Thief theme. After all, it was a bit much to suddenly bring them back into the spotlight after they’d worked so hard to keep hidden. However, after Christmas, it seemed as though most of the populace treated the Phantom Thieves of Heart as little more than an urban legend. Haru felt that gave them a solid alibi-to anyone who asked, they were simply fans of the aesthetic. Plus, as Futaba had pointed out to her, “If people can cosplay Tuxedo Mask and not get arrested, nothing says we can’t cosplay ourselves.”

(That reminded her, she really needed to discuss her idea for a Sailor Moon theme with Futaba once the cafe closed.)

Haru and Ann, in their spare time, had been working on recreating some of the outfits from the Metaverse (key word being  _ some _ , as Ann had vehemently insisted on redesigning her outfit from scratch) with the help of a mutual designer friend. Haru found the process exhilarating, as if she were drawing out the Beauty Thief identity from deep within her soul for a grand comeback. Yusuke had come through on the decorations, enveloping Leblanc in a sea of reds and blacks-though it was Haru who came upon the idea of drawing simplified, cartoony versions of their Metaverse selves around the walls.

With removable marker, of course, she’d reiterated to Sojiro.

It was strange, but everything about this, the aesthetics, the jazzy tunes Futaba had found online, the atmosphere...it felt like coming home after a long trip away.

Huh.

Hard to imagine. The Metaverse, home.

The only thing missing was the same thing that was missing before. 

She’d sent some messages back and forth to Ren about her plans, and really,  _ really  _ hoped he’d be able to make it. While the time they were able to spend together before he had to leave was nice, it was hard to not have him nearby to just...be with. She’d hoped this would be a chance to rectify that, even if for just a little bit. But, she hadn’t heard back from him in the past couple of days. School must have been running him ragged. Haru supposed it was to be expected, but it was a little sad to have the Phantom Thieves of Hearts reunite without their leader. 

Glancing over to the others, though, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy well up inside of her. Ann and Yusuke were helping to reinforce the decorations, Ann in her now far less form-fitting (yet still somewhat feline-inspired) uniform and Yusuke in his mask and yukata, exuding an air of mystery. Futaba and Makoto were manning the sound system, the latter having talked the former down from wearing that hideous “mask” in favor of goggles inspired by her Metaverse outfit. As for Ryuji?

Haru returned to the bar, two cups of coffee in hand. She placed them down, quickly ducking back for the milk tea. Looking between the man and the officer, she said, “Your curry will be ready momentarily.” She quickly slid over to the other side of the counter as the three took their drinks, quickly grabbing another set of cups. “Ryuji, the order for table two is ready!”

“Gotcha!” Ryuji, in his bony mask and biker outfit, seemed slightly uncomfortable as he took the drinks in his hands. “God,” he whispered, “I think my old duds were pre-worn or something. Movin’ in all this leather is weird.” 

“That’s why Ann asked for a fitting before this, you know.” Haru adjusted her hat. “Then again, I suppose our old outfits were a bit more...tailor-made.”

“I know, I know.” Ryuji shrugged-or, as best he could shrug, the leather creaking with every movement. “I’ll ask ‘er to fix it up later.” He strolled over to table two, chatting up the guests as Haru moved to go back behind the counter.

The bell above the door rang. 

“Well, well, Beauty Thief!” A voice rang out, booming through the room. “I see you’ve been taking care of our ragtag team in my absence!” 

Haru froze. Her eyes widened, their sudden jolt only matched by the size of her grin.

“Joker!” she exclaimed, unable to contain herself.

Standing at the door, just as she remembered him looking the first time she saw him, was Ren. He was dressed head-to-toe in his Phantom Thief outfit, his mask held between his fingers. Morgana sat on his shoulder, a yellow bandanna tied loosely to his neck. “Who did you expect,” Ren asked, twirling the mask. “The Detective Prince, perhaps? The original, that is,” he added, not noticing the sudden hacking cough coming from the bar.

Haru rushed to the entrance as Ren fully stepped in, the door quietly shutting behind him. “When did you come in?” she asked. “How did you come in?”

“Oh, you know,” Ren replied, “I have my ways.”

“He means me, of course” Sojiro drawled, eliciting a loud laugh from the DJ table. “Be nice, Futaba! Oh, and the others were in on it, too. They wanted to keep the surprise; trust me, it was tough holding all that in for a month.”

Ren scratched the back of his head. “C’mon, lemme have a little mystery, Boss-”

His next words were cut off as he was enveloped in a massive hug. “It’s good to see you again,” Haru said, her smile making way for tears. “It really is.”

Ren returned the favor, embracing her tight.

They then watched as Haru’s hat tumbled to the floor, the pointed tip having bent just enough against his chest to make it bounce straight off of her head.

The two stared at the hat for a moment. Then, they began to laugh.

The three at the counter watched as the two lovebirds began excitedly chatting with each other, the hat forgotten. The officer picked it up, tilting it back and forth. 

“Think she’d mind if I keep this?”

“You’re an officer, Satonaka,” the red-haired woman replied. “Even with this establishment's theme, stealing isn’t exactly smiled upon in most circles, particularly for-” 

“I was gonna ask,” Satonaka muttered.

“Ask first, then,” the beanie-wearing man added.

“Shinjiro-san, you don’t always have to take Mitsuru-san’s side.”

“I don’t always-”

The sound of porcelain on glass interrupted the conversation. Sojiro moved his hands away from the curry plates, stuffing them in his pockets. “Your curry, sir and ma’am.” He tilted his hat slightly to the two. “Extra steak for the lady.”

As Satonaka immediately went to wolf down her food, Shinjiro watched Haru and Ren sit down at one of the booths, hand in hand. Haru’s face was alight with joy and excitement, with Ren’s a near perfect mirror. Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. “Ain’t she on the clock?” he asked Sojiro, his voice barely above a whisper.

“She is,” Sojiro admitted. “But, I think I can let it slide.” He chuckled. “I’m also legally obligated to give her a break, and she’s been working non-stop since this morning. Besides…” 

Haru’s head came to a rest on Ren’s shoulder, her eyes closed in contentment.

Sojiro grinned. “If they’ve stolen each other’s hearts, who am I to interrupt?”


End file.
